OVERVIEW OF ENVIRONMENT SUSTAINABILITY IN TOP UNIVERSITIES IN LATIN AMÉRICA

Abstract

There are many kinds of rankings in the world for universities, according to specific criteria. One of these is the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), which ranks the top universities in Latin America (LA). This research aims to identify whether these universities, considered the best in Latin America, utilize environmentally sustainable practices in their campuses. In order to identify the environmental practices of these universities, two approaches were undertaken at the top 200 universities: I) a survey of the university websites to evaluate action related to: air, water, wastewater, transportation, solid waste, energy, environmental practices and environmental management. II) a questionnaire mailing to universities about their environmental practices related to the same points. For analysis of the data from the university websites we applied the technique of content analysis. The results show a lack of data information in the university websites with a higher incidence of action in environmental education and waste management and presents an overview, showing that, though considered models in education, these universities still need to focus attention on issues related to environmental sustainability in university campuses.

Keywords: Environment Sustainability; Practices; Latin America Universities; Ranking.